EU speed limiter proposal

[LancePearson]

Robert,
Exactly right. If anything, there will be pushes to write more. Last weekend here's what Virginia state police did:


"RICHMOND – Virginia State Police issued more than 1,000 speeding tickets during a one-day targeted enforcement effort Saturday that focused on several interstate highways.
The agency said Monday that it focused on 870 miles of Interstates 81, 95, 85 and 64 during its latest Operation Air, Land & Speed traffic safety campaign.

Saturday's efforts produced citations for 1,008 speeders and 255 reckless drivers. Other offenses included drunken driving, failing to buckle up and drug and other felony charges.
Of the 1,008 speeding citations, 475 were issued on I-81, 301 on I-64, 228 on I-95 and four on I-85.
Funding for Operation Air, Land & Speed is provided through federal highway safety money. Funds generated from summonses issued by Virginia State Police go directly to court fees and the state’s Literary Fund, which benefits public school construction, technology funding and teacher retirement."

Lance

[Hog]

I would say that it's almost criminal to conduct business this way, but these drivers ARE breaking the law. I just dont like hearing stories about Officers or SHerriffs getting into trouble for not bringing in enough money. The incentive to enforce the law should be to protect the public, not to fill coffers. Certainly a good incentive to not break the speed limit.

A few weeks ago I read that "Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio orders deputies to carry AR-15 style rifles and remain armed even when off duty" after he bought a few pallets of brand new AR-15's for his department using drug bust money.

[LancePearson]

Two weeks ago when going N. on I295 around Richmond just after crossing the varina Enon Bridge over the James river there is a road with overpass. Beneath the overpass sat one state car with radar and six, yep, that's right, six, brand new BMW state cycles and they were writing tickets as fast as they could...the Beemers ran 'em down after the car clocked 'em. They are getting highly organized to write tickets here in Virginia.

In 2011, the last year I saw stats, the states wrote either $6.2 or 6.3 billion in traffic citations. That's state and does not include city or county. No one ever admits that they are doing it for money or will say so publicly because of the backlash, instead, always saying it is for safety. However, even an idiot eventually figures it out what the real reason is. Sorry to be so jaundiced about the police as it's a job I would be too afraid to do for many reasons but these officers are following instructions given from their supervisors who have supervisors who have supervisors who have bosses who have bosses who are often elected politicians and not police savvy at all.

In Va. those reckless tickets which were 20% of them are really expensive. Reckless here is not just reckless driving but anything 20 mph over the speed limit and up.

[Racinfan83]

Safety - my hiney... The before mentioned town I have to go through to go to work that shoots laser out an office window has 1/4 mile of I-70 in its city limits. There is a slight curve right at the beginning. A few years ago they closed down Hwy 40/I-64 to rebuild it - one of the things they did to relieve traffic was to use the center "emergency lane" as a fourth lane on I-70. Just happens that the "4th lane" on that slight curve was reverse cambered for drainage - as a result every time it rained people hit the median wall right there. Tons of people. So when they put it back to 3 normal lanes - no more wrecks. BUT - the city used the inflated accident statistics from the year the extra bad lane was there - to get their part of the Interstate designated a "double fine zone" for "safety". Probably hasn't been 10 wrecks there in 3 years since they did it. But they and their little town are profiting DOUBLE from their little misuse of accident statistics. Did the officers do it? NO. The powers above them did. So I don't blame all officers. But - there are a number of them here that take their job entirely too seriously - and they gotta be a-holes to boot. THOSE are the ones I cannot stand. Had too many cops MAKE STUFF UP on me so they could write more tickets - or whatever. Maybe I am just unlucky - but in probably. 50% of my dealings with cops they have made up things and lied about what I did or didn't do to make themselves look better. I HATE that garbage. And yes - I am always respectful and professional to them (of course until they start lying) - so I don't think its just me....

[LancePearson]

One of us once told a state trooper through the window of his Continental the truth....the guy was on amphetamines and wrong but I never should have been so honest. I called him an A..h... and he seemed offended. I got handcuffed, fingerprinted, had to spend $1500 on a lawyer, do 50 hours of community service. When done it all was expunged but I got in touch with the State Police officer conduct people then with the detailed notes I took that night and turned him in once I was beyond his reach. He'll be taking random drug tests for a long time and I'm sure he didn't like the two months of docked pay either.

It's a tough job but he was not Virginia's finest....in retrospect.

Now, I nod and say: "yes sir" and go grumble somewhere else. Police, lawyers and courts have little to do with the truth in my experience. I was inappropriate even if right and all ties go to the courts, the cops, etc. until you get a lawyer in the system even if you have a sterling record and reputation your whole life.

Never forgot that 2005 episode. I'm sure the record was expunged but I'd bet somewhere those fingerprints will never get off line, maybe even the FBI.
Lance

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by Hog

I would say that it's almost criminal to conduct business this way, but these drivers ARE breaking the law. I just dont like hearing stories about Officers or SHerriffs getting into trouble for not bringing in enough money. The incentive to enforce the law should be to protect the public, not to fill coffers. Certainly a good incentive to not break the speed limit.

A few weeks ago I read that "Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio orders deputies to carry AR-15 style rifles and remain armed even when off duty" after he bought a few pallets of brand new AR-15's for his department using drug bust money.

Living in Colorado a little over a decade ago, when the annual budget was published for the State Troopers, among others, something like 38% of their operating budget was to be "traffic violation revenues". That's pretty plain to me, I recon!

[chriskinzel]

I am a public servant in a town in Utah. This town had a police officer by the name of "Raymond". His nick name was "Revenue Raymond". He earned this name by righting tickets for anything he could (one mile per hour over speed limit). Not for the sake of filling the city coffers, but for the over-time he would get going to court. He didn't care if you won or lost, he just wanted you to fight it. He was eventually fire for this because he was loosing in court so many times it gave a black eye to the city via the news media.

[Racinfan83]

Yep. Another crooked one. Good thing I never been there. He'd have got me too...
I gotta run the I-55 gauntlet Sunday thru Illinois. May the force be with me...

[ZRXMAX]

Originally Posted by chriskinzel

I am a public servant in a town in Utah. This town had a police officer by the name of "Raymond". His nick name was "Revenue Raymond". He earned this name by righting tickets for anything he could (one mile per hour over speed limit). Not for the sake of filling the city coffers, but for the over-time he would get going to court. He didn't care if you won or lost, he just wanted you to fight it. He was eventually fire for this because he was loosing in court so many times it gave a black eye to the city via the news media.

Revenue Raymond... was he based in Nephi? One time around 1988 I recieved a 109 in a 65 in Nephi of my V65 Honda Sabre. A bike that could easily cruise at 110mph.

A northbound ambulance radioed the UHP that he saw a motorcycle at high speed on the southbound I-15 north of Nephi. I had just topped it out around 145 perhaps

10 minutes earlier. Yes... I was pushing it a bit with new tires and headed to Vegas for fun! The UHP jumped in his car and went to his "spot" where many a speeder

has met the stop watch ticket system. It was a VASCAR trap and the UHP said he only had the ETs memorized up to 90 mph. He said he would have to go back to his

car and use a calculator to write the ticket. 44 over got me the privilage of following the UHP to the jail house without using a tow truck to haul my bike away. Bail was

$250 and I only had about $200 on me and he wouldn't make an exception on the amount so I would have to process into the jail complete with mug shots and finger prints.

He ran out of film after the 1st picture...

The bonds lady was already there assisting somebody else and couldn't get to me right away and the UHP wouldn't let me wait in the holding area instead of being booked into jail.

What a jerk ! He said " I have to process you into jail even if its only for a few minutes. I was always respectful during the whole episode and never gave him any reason to

not trust me to be calm during my time there. It turns out the bonds lady knew the UHP and told me about his history in the courtroom. She said he was prone to being

very nervous under oath and would sometimes be an embarrasment in the court. Like getting off the stand and walking into the closet instead of out the courtroom door.



She said I met a real dufus that wasn't well respected by the local county judge.

I called the judge before my court date and told him I wanted to plead not guilty. He asked me why and I told him I simply wanted to appear where I would actually plead guilty

but would ask for a reduced fine and ask that the ticket not go on my driving record. Over the phone he dropped it to $200 and said he couldn't do anything about the ticket

not showing up on my driving record. Well... that ticket never did show up on my record. So, the phone call paid off and I didn't have drive 80 miles one way for a speeding ticket.

109 in a 65 would have looked pretty bad on my CDL.

In Utah catching speeders is a bloodsport. Plenty of resources devoted to catching speeders especially on the I-15 and I-80. I use to live at Summit Park east of Salt Lake

and speed up the hill because most of the time their looking for downhill speeders in Parleys Canyon.